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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Remembrance of plants past...Schivereckia

I have recently begun scanning some of my old transparencies (a depressing task at best) and I keep finding plants I once grew that have somehow disappeared from my garden (and other gardens I know as well). Here is the first of these lost little lost souls (plants must have souls: they deserve them more than we do). Schivereckia podolica is not likely to make the short list of most people, and certainly never classed among the best alpine plant by any means, nor has its demise kept me awake at night. But as I look at these faded, nostalgic pictures of plants in my old garden twenty years ago, where it persisted for many, many years (and produced enormous quantities of seed) I realize how evanescent things are. If a plant like this can disappear, what hope is there for us, or civilization for that matter? This is not a fussy plant by any stretch of the imagination.

OK: I admit a white flowered plant that blooms in April is about as novel as rain in Portland in the winter, or wheat in Kansas. But it made such a nice cushion of silvery, evergreen leaves, and the flowers are held quite gracefully, and they develop rather attractive seedpods....and how many Siberian plants do you have in YOUR garden? And it's dead easy to grow.

I have yearned to grow dionysias, and killed my share of Aretians and watched many a Meconopsis wither. There is something said for a tough little Siberian crucifer that grows gangbusters, blooms its little head off and sets tons of seed. And what a crazy name! I want it back! Time to comb the seedlists...